Non-threaded tubing connector

ABSTRACT

A thin plastic tube has at the end a continuous or interrupted inclined plane means which collapses the plastic tube end section over a nipple or another tube end. The plastic tube end section is inserted over the nipple or other tube end to be sealed thereby with a locking ring drawn over the inclined plane means. The locking ring is drawn over the inclined plane surfaces to uniformly collapse the tube end section into engagement with the nipple or other tube end with a sealing force and with the locking sleeve in frictional locked engagement therewith.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 358,916, filed May 10, 1973,abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Reference may be had to the patent to W. R. Rinker, No. 3,348,863 toshow the securing of a coupling to the end of a hose by wedge elementsand elastic seals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to a thin plastic tube to be employed as acooling tubing for engines and the like which is made from a durableplastic material such as nylon or other high temperature resistantplastics. Zytel 91 is a nylon made by DuPont which can be satisfactorilyemployed as well as one made by Foster Grant No. 1147. An elastomer byDuPont known as Hytrel 6355 or a polyvinylchloride could also beemployed for the coolant tube. The tube may have a continuous uniformwall thickness or may be corrugated to permit a greater degree offlexibility thereto. The tube having the continuous wall has the endwall section reduced in thickness and provided with spaced inclinedplane sections on the outside thereof. One or more annual beads may beprovided on the inner surface of the end wall section and a stop beadmay be provided on each of the inclined plane elements for preventingthe reverse movement of the clamping sleeve which has an internaltruncated conical surface which mates with the inclined plane sectionswhen drawn thereover. When the end section is advanced over a nipple orother tube end which may be made of metal, plastic or the like, themovement of the locking sleeve over the inclined plane sectionsuniformly collapses the tube over the nipple or tube end and therebyforms a seal therewith. When the internal annular beads are employed onthe thin wall end section, the section can expand to permit theinsertion of the end section over the nipple or other tube end. Theinclination of the plane is small and develops very little force forreversely moving the sleeve therefrom. The stop beads when employed onthe spaced inclined plane sections prevents the retractive movement ofthe locking sleeve on the inclined plane elements.

In another form, the coolant tube is of the corrugated type having aninclined plane for the end section containing a locking lip over whichthe end of a clamping sleeve is drawn for locking a corrugation over anannular bead on a nipple or tube end which is compressed by the sleevewhen moved to locked position over the lip end. A seal such as an O-ringin a corrugation adjacent to the end engages the outer wall of thenipple or the tube end and forms a positive seal therewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of a plastic tube and clamping sleeve inunlocked relation embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, as viewedfrom the end 2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated inFIG. 2, taken on the line 3--3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged broken view of the structure illustrated in FIG.2, and

FIG. 5 is a view of structure, similar to that illustrated in FIG. 3,showing another form of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 wherein a coolant tube 11 is of uniform crosssection having a thin wall 12 made of a plastic material such as one ofthose above mentioned. The end wall section 13 is reduced in thicknessand provided with a plurality of spaced outwardly extending inclinedplane sections 14 having a stop projection 15 on the outer end. One ormore annular beads 16 are provided on the inside of the thin end wallsection 13. The inner ends of the inclined plane sections 14 may have alocking bead or protrusion 17 provided thereon for securing a clampingsleeve 18 on the sections 14. A tube or nipple 19 which is made ofmetal, plastic or the like has the thin end wall section 13 of the tube11 inserted thereover, the wall section having a chamfer 20 on the end.If the annular beads 16 are present, the thin tube section 13 can expandto permit the beads to pass over the tube or nipple 19. When the tubesection 13 and nipple 19 are in telescoped relation, the locking sleeve18 is advanced over the inclined plane sections 14 which progressivelycollapses the end tube section 13 substantially uniformly over the tubeor nipple 19. The slope of the inclined plane sections 14 and that ofthe internal truncated conical surface 21 of the locking sleeve 18 areof such low degree that the clamping sleeve will remain fixed on thesurface of the elements 14 and develop insufficient force to overcomethe frictional forces between the elements when forceably engaged in thelocked position. The ring is normally constructed so as to be more rigidthan the material or construction of the collapsing section. Thisresults in a small amount of deformation of the inclined plane sections,which also serves to lock the sleeve in place. To assure the retentionof the clamping sleeve 18 in locked position, or prevent travel of thesleeve past the end of the inclined plane one or more beads orprotrusions 17 are provided at the lower or upper ends of the inclinedplane sections 14 to lock the sleeve 18 thereon when the end passesthereover. A tool may be employed to engage a flange section 22 on thesleeve 18 and the stop sections 15 on the sections 14 for drawing thesleeve thereover. Various plastics, as pointed out hereinabove, may beemployed for the tube 11 and clamping sleeve 18 to produce the coolanttube which is durable, which withstands high temperature and which islow in cost.

Another form of coolant tube as illustrated in FIG. 5 has a body 23 ofcorrugated form providing inwardly presenting annular channel sections24 between outwardly presenting channel sections 25. A convergingtruncated conical end section 26 is joined to an outwardly presentingU-shaped section 27, the section 26 having an enlarged locking lip 28 onits end. The tube or nipple 29 has an annular bead 31 near its outer endwhich is engaged within an inwardly presenting corrugation 32 spacedfrom the end section 26. The corrugations and locking lip 32 expand whenthe end of the tube body 23 is inserted over the tube or nipple 29. Acorrugation 33 may have a seal, such as an O-ring 34, retained withinthe inwardly presenting area thereof in position to engage the wall ofthe tube or nipple 29. A locking sleeve 35 of metal, plastic or the likeis placed over the end section 26 of the tube body 23 before it isinserted over the tube or nipple 29. A flange 36 at the end of thesleeve 35 is pulled to draw the end of the sleeve over the locking lip28 while engaging the outer surface of the corrugations 32 and 33 of thetube body. This urges the O-ring 34 against the wall of the tube ornipple 29 and retains the corrugation 32 in position to lock theoutwardly extending annular bead 31 within the inwardly presenting area24 thereof. In the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 5, the element 29 isa nipple having an end screwed into a threaded opening in an engineblock 37. The tube body 23 is flexible and can assume paths of differentshape and will expand when pressure builds up therewithin. Thisexpansion can be avoided by applying one or more strips 38 of plasticmaterial over the corrugations which, while substantially reducing theexpansion maintains a desired degree of flexibility to the tube body. Ineither embodiment, the end section of the coolant tube has a wedgerelation with a locking sleeve when drawn thereover to produce apressure on the tube or nipple 29 for retaining it in sealed relationtherewith.

I claim:
 1. In a tube for a fluid, a tube body having an end sectioninsertable over a tubular element which extends therewithin, the wall ofsaid tube body is corrugated having alternate inwardly and outwardlypresenting continuous annular sections, an inwardly presentingcontinuous annular bead near the end of the tubular element received byan inwardly presenting corrugation into which the bead extends, andmeans comprising a locking sleeve for securing the inwardly presentingcorrugation over said bead, and a sealing element provided in a secondinwardly presenting continuous corrugation which is maintained inengagement with said tubular element by said locking sleeve, said tubebody having an inclined plane means converging toward the end and havingthereat means comprising a locking lip for securing the end of thelocking sleeve when passed thereover and moved to locking position. 2.In a tube for a fluid as recited in claim 1, wherein tubular outwardlycorrugated means is provided across said outwardly presenting annularsections of said tube body to resist the expansion thereof whenpressurized therewithin while retaining a desired degree of flexibility.3. In a tube for a fluid as recited in claim 1, wherein a radiallyextending flange is provided on the inner end of the locking sleeve bywhich its outer end is moved axially over said locking lip.